Bucs' WR Joe Jurevicius Scores, Then Gives Ball To Airmen

Though they wear different uniforms and fight different battles, for a brief moment, an NFL football player and an Air Force pilot met eye to eye.

Capt. Ryan Silver, a pilot with the 89th Flying Training Squadron at Sheppard Air Force Base, TX, stood on the sidelines in Tampa, FL, on Nov. 21 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took on the visiting San Francisco 49ers. He was at the game as part of the ground control team guiding in a four-ship formation flyover during the opening ceremony to the surprise of the Buccaneers and crowd. But Captain Silver walked away from the game with the biggest surprise of the day.

Near the end of the second quarter, wide receiver Joe Jurevicius caught a 42-yard pass from quarterback Brian Griese at the 2-yard line and sliced through two defenders for a touchdown. He then looked to the sidelines where the captain and a group of Airmen were gathered.

"When I saw him coming toward me, my first thought was to get out of the way," Captain Silver said. "I know that players will often run to the stands and give a game ball to a kid in the stands, so I thought that was what he was doing."

Instead, Jurevicius planted the ball into Captain Silver's chest, then rendered a crisp salute to the puzzled pilot.

"I was just shocked and honored when I saw him do that," Captain Silver said. "I realized that he was not only saluting me, he was giving a salute to the entire military."

FMI: www.af.mil